Badr Ethiopia annual convention Badr's Journey in Islam Celebrating 10th Anniversary will be held in Hyatt Regency City hotel, Washington DC from July 22-25. Invited speakers:Yusuf Estes, Sadik Mohammed (Abu Hayder), Mohammad Hammidin, Dr. Abduljelil and More...Grand door Prize - Round trip ticket to Ethiopia (or $1200).Islamic game competition, Interactive discussion, Youth program and more...

Please Let us make Insha Allah a plan to attend and Join our muslim brothers and sisters. Please visit www.badrethiopia.org for more details.

By Jason McLure

Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Ethiopia’s economy is expected to grow 10.1 percent in the year to July 7, from 9.9 percent the previous year, a finance ministry official said.

“Our economy has been the fastest non-oil and non-mineral economy in sub-Saharan Africa in the last six years,” Getachew Adem, head of development planning and research at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, told reporters today. “The financial crisis has not affected us much, but there was impact indirectly on our manufacturing sector.”

The financial crisis and power outages did keep growth last year below the government’s 11.2 percent forecast. The economy should expand by at least 10 percent through 2015, Getachew said in Addis Ababa, the capital.

The International Monetary Fund projected economic growth of 7 percent this year, according to a September report from the Washington-based lender.

A 14 percent expansion of the service industry led growth last year, Getachew said. Agriculture increased 6.4 percent while industrial output grew 9.9 percent.

The government may lift lending caps on banks that have slowed credit to the private industry by December if the annual inflation rate can be held at about 6 percent, he said. The inflation rate climbed to 7.1 percent in December from 0.6 percent the month before, according to the Central Statistical Agency.

“Banks cannot extend credit as they wish, and that is biting, but there is always a compromise,” Getachew said. Controlling inflation “is the government’s overriding objective in the medium and short term.”

Foreign currency shortages continue to hurt manufacturers and importers, he said. The government has rebuilt reserves from about $800 million November 2008 to $1.9 billion today, he said.

 

 

 

Addis Ababa, February 2, 2010  - The 14th Ordinary Session of African Heads of State and   Government concluded on Tuesday after endorsing a number of decisions and declarations. In its declaration, the summit is convinced of the powerful catalyzing role of Information and Communications Technology in the development and integration process in Africa. The summit declares ICT as a driving force for the overall development of the continent.

 

 

The ordinary session has also declared Year 2010 as " Year of Peace and Security in Africa " to dedicate Africans to find solutions to the remaining political crisis and continue invest a lot of efforts to attain peace and security in the continent. The Summit approved 15 AU member states for Peace and Security Council that would serve for the coming two to three years. The session has also approved the AU-NEPAD integration. The session strongly condemned unconstitutional change of governments as it threatens the cherished peace and security of the continent.

Political parties play a central role in the democratization process in any country. They provide the means through which different public interests are articulated, providing for the aspirations of various sections of society. They are the main actors in the market place of ideas, offering a menu of alternative political platforms on a range of areas, political, economic or social. Their role in building democracy is part of a continuum of activities in which free and fair elections are an integral part, allowing citizens to choose between various alternative platforms. To articulate the interests of their constituencies, parties need to identify, bring together and spell out issues to enhance the best interests of the people. They are, of course, expected to play by the rules laid down in the Constitution and subsequent legislation, even though by the nature of elections not all of a party’s expectations will be met in one or two election terms. Free and fair elections are less about the outcome, winning or losing, than about the process.